His Mountain Lakes squad had finished 2-6, and the 24-year-old coach was scared.

“The superintendent called me into his office,” Wilkins remembered. “He was a young, nice guy, and he said, ‘We are going to have a better football team next year, aren’t we?’”

Wilkins did him 43 better, amassing a 328-105-5 record — and eight state championships — during a 44-year career that has now come to an end.

Wilkins, 67, retired Wednesday and is already battling with regrets.

“If I knew how long I was going to live I could make these decisions a lot better,” Wilkins said with a laugh. “I’m scared and excited at the same time because I just kind of feel like maybe I had one more year left in me.”

His players and fellow coaches admit they’ll miss him but say he’s earned his break. And they will continue to remember and revere him.

“You will get the realm of his unbelievable influence and how he affected kids,” said Tim Flynn, Mountain Lakes’ boys lacrosse coach since 1979. “But it wasn’t just kids. It was us (coaches) as well. You never had to look too far to figure out the best way to do things.

“It’s a seismic shift. I’m telling you, two plates moved under the ocean today.”

When new coaches entered the Mountain Lakes family, Michael Killingsworth, the athletic director, encouraged them to observe Wilkins leading football practices.

“He put his whole soul into the program,” Killingsworth said. “It was a great pool of wisdom to draw from.”

Wilkins’ 328 victories rank him No. 4 in state history. Vic Paternostro of Pope John is the all-time leader with 363 coaching victories. He had 35 winning seasons.

“He established a real grass-roots tradition at Mountain Lakes,” Morris Knolls coach Bill Regan said. “They spend as much time talking about developing the family atmosphere as they do the Wing-T.”

Mountain Lakes’ defensive coordinator, Charlie Roche, who has worked alongside Wilkins for the last 25 years, announced his retirement, as well.

Killingsworth said the next head coach will come from within the Mountain Lakes football program — a fact both Wilkins and his current players appreciate. Wilkins said either Darrell Fusco or James Smith will take over.

“The best thing that could happen for me is the kids go out and have another great season,” said Wilkins, who is leaving with a state-record, 25-game winning streak still going. “I’d feel good about that. Right now I feel like maybe I let them down.”

Of course, he’s the only one who feels that way.

“I don’t want to sound weird, but he’s almost like Jesus, he just knows everything,” said Will Naughton, a senior lineman on this year’s team. “Anything he says you just take and try to learn from it.

“When he told us (he was retiring) he made it sound like everything’s going to be fine. He always has a plan. He always seems prepared. He never stutters his words or anything. He just portrays this confidence, so we believe him.”

Naughton said Wilkins knew when to keep his tone light and when to demand seriousness. Wilkins bonded particularly with the linemen — the position he played at Roxbury High and Moravian College — with whom he often threatened to go head-to-head.

Apparently that’s nothing new.

“In manners of frustration he would act like a running back and run into the defensive line without pads or a helmet,” said Howard Steinman, a 1989 graduate who played for Wilkins. “I know he knocked out a tooth during his playing days.”

While his players enjoy the reminiscing, Wilkins will continue to make memories. His idea of “stepping back” includes running clinics, mentoring new coaches, passing on his playbooks, fundraising for the football program and planning events for the 590 kids who have played on his teams.

“Today, I’m thinking geez, is this the right decision?” Wilkins said. “But now I have the time to put my energy in a couple of other places, so who knows what will happen. I guess that’s the beauty of it.”Jackie Friedman can be reached at jfriedman@starledger.com